T1 has let go of its League of Legends coaches Yang ‘Daeny’ Dae-in and Lee ‘Zefa’ Jae-min just weeks before the LCK season ends in a last-ditch attempt to make playoffs, leaving fans shocked.
T1’s League of Legends team has had a whirlwind of a year. In their 2021 Spring split, the team dealt with a rotating roster of players, even subbing out their legendary mid-laner Faker at one point.
The team finished in fourth place in Spring playoffs, failing to qualify for the Mid Season International (MSI) event. Their summer split hasn’t been too much of an improvement, either. T1 currently sits at 6-5, good enough for fifth place.
T1’s GM Choi ‘Holt’ Seonghun decided on July 14 to let go of their coaches Daeny and Zefa, and explained their decision in the tweet below.
A Message from T1 pic.twitter.com/J8ClbXp5am
— T1 LoL (@T1LoL) July 15, 2021
“We are making this change at this point in an effort to reinvigorate our team’s chances of success with 8 games remaining,” they wrote. The team currently sits in a playoff spot at fifth place in the standings, but just outside of a Worlds spot as only the top three teams make it.
Letting go of Daeny and Zefa was a shock to the T1 fanbase, as nothing indicated – with just a few weeks left in the Spring split – that they would let go of their coaches. The replies to the announcement tweet included a mixture of anger and confusion. T1 fans have a history of being outspoken about the changes the team makes.
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[Press Conference]
GM @Poltsc2 on Daeny-Zefa coaching staff change at @T1LoL
Polt: ” … I listen to the opinions of the players a lot, and know a lot, and used my experience as a professional gamer. Based on my experience, and what I saw, I thought this was the best decision”
— Ashley Kang (@AshleyKang) July 15, 2021
Korizon reporter Ashley Kang got to ask Holt about the staff changes, and he said, “I listen to the opinions of the players a lot, and know a lot, and used my experience as a professional gamer. Based on my experience, and what I saw, I thought this was the best decision.”
Q: Did the T1 players agree with the coaching staff change?
I thought it would not be a good impact on the players to directly ask the players, to approach the players during the split to pose such a question. Therefore, I did not ask the players these questions.
— Ashley Kang (@AshleyKang) July 15, 2021
Regarding asking how the players felt about the change, he said: “I thought it would not be a good impact on the players to directly ask the players, to approach the players during the split to pose such a question. Therefore, I did not ask the players these questions.”
T1 played against NS RedForce, notching a 2-0 victory in light of the coaches being let go, improving their record to 6-5.
For now, T1 will have Kim ‘Moment’ Ji-hwan and Son ‘Stardust’ Seok-hee as interim head coaches.
